Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The best of Chelsea’s subject grades are an A+ for history and an A− for civic life; the weakest is a D for incomes. On incomes, just 13 of Vermont’s 172 towns do worse. Its National Register listings include Moxley Covered Bridge and Chelsea Village Historic District. Chelsea has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Chelsea beats most towns.
Moxley Covered BridgeCensus counts: 239 in 1790, a peak of 1,959 in 1840, 1,233 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1920 and 3 maps from 1896 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Vermont), ordered by how far Chelsea is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Chelsea, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Chelsea.
Most working residents leave Chelsea for work: only 8% work in town. At 30 minutes, Chelsea’s average trip to work is against 23 minutes in Vermont’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. 14% of Chelsea residents live below the poverty line.
| Chelsea | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $66,000 | $80,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 7.8% | 16% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the First Branch Unified School District #82. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Branch Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 89 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VT on state tests and graduation
The typical Chelsea home is worth about $284,000, up 1.2% in a year, 28% below the Vermont typical home. At $1,524 a month, Chelsea’s median rent is above both the Vermont town median ($1,135 a month) and the median of U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). 81% of households own their home in Chelsea.
| Chelsea | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,524 a month | $1,135 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 81% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Among 72 Vermont towns, just 2 have a lower share of adults who binge drink than Chelsea. Chelsea beats the Vermont average on 0 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 11.
| Chelsea | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 30% | 36% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 27% | 23% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 32% | 35% |
| What stands out | Chelsea | VT |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 13.3% | 10.1% |
| More adults who get no exercise | 23.6% | 18.9% |
| More adults with COPD | 8% | 6.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Chelsea has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Chelsea’s July high is 79°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 65% of U.S. communities. Since 1989, 17 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Chelsea.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
3 within 15 miles of the center of Chelsea
About 5 of every 100 Chelsea residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Vermont.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
3 places in Chelsea on the National Register of Historic Places.
9 notable people were born in Chelsea.
Town in Vermont, United States
Chelsea is a town in and the shire town (county seat) of Orange County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,233 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Home to 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
That is 3.4 years of the area's median household income ($83,269 across the Lebanon-Claremont, NH-VT area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
9 notable people were born here, including William Freeman Vilas and F. Ray Keyser.
